Electrical connector



Patented Mar. 1a, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR :Helge Jensen, Flushing, "N. vY., 'assignor to Cole Electric Products Go. -Inc., Long Island City,

N. Y., a corporation-of New York Application June 11, 1942, Serial No. 446,645

H 1 Claim. (01.173-259) This invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly. to electrical connectors constructed and arranged to afiord terminals for the securement therein of electric wires, cables, or similar conductors. In their more specific aspects, the terminal connectors embodying the present invention are of the solderless type.

One object of the present invention is the provision of a terminal connector of the solderless type comprising a member for receiving and securing the cable or wire and a conductor member, such as a bar, lug or plate, having an opening in which said first mentioned member is rigidly secured.

Another object of the invention is to provide a terminal connector which may be made of sheet metal stock and composed of parts which may be readily manufactured by simple and inexpensive manufacturing operations and which can be readily assembled and secured together A further object of the invention is to provide a terminal connector which can be readily assembled with other electrical connecting devices, such as for example, a conductor plate carrying a fuse clip terminal or a similar terminal of the type which is engaged by theknife-blade of a switch.

The above objects of the invention and other objects, advantages and features of the embodiments thereof will be apparent from the following description considered with reference to the accompanying drawing. In the drawing.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a connector mounted on a conductor plate together with a' fuse clip or switch knife-blade clip; I

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 1, showing the line 3-5 of on the line 3-6 of Referring now to the drawing in detail, and

first to the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the terminal connector comprises a connector member ID formed of sheet metal of suitable thickness secured to a conductor bar l2 to which is secured a clip I for the terminal of ll some other device.

"rigidly secured to said bar.

'a fuse or for the knife-blade of a switch. The

connector member ID comprises a'housinghaving an end wall It and opposed side walls 18 having inwardly converging portions 20, thus proshoulders 2l'which engage adjacent surface portions of bar l2 and are clamped tightly thereagainst bysaid upsetting or rivetingof said edge portions. The inner surface 28 of converging end portions. 20 are engaged by the cable or wire inserted through the open end of the connector remote from the clip [4. End .wall it is provided with van outwardly extruded threaded-collar or sleeve 30 in which the screw 32 of a clamping device is adjustably engaged for releasably securing the cable or wire in engagement with surfaces 28. Said clamping device also includes a rotary "plate 34 which is mounted on screw 32. Theclamping device constituted by screw 32 and plate 3| is preferably of the same construction as the clamping device illustrated in Figs. '7 and 9 of my above mentioned application.

The clip It includes members 36 arranged in spaced confronting relation to receive therebetween and engage in electrical contact therewith .the blade of a fuse or the knife blade of a switch.

Said clip members 36 are-rigidly fixed to bar l2 in upstanding relation thereto and for this purpose each of said members is provided with a reduced end portion 38 forming shoulders 40 for engagement with one surface of said bar .l2, when said reduced edge portion 38 is projected through an opening 4| in said bar, there being one such opening 4| for each'clip member 36.

The outer ends of reduced end portions 38 of clip member 38 are upset or riveted over the surface 26 on bar I2 for rigidly fastening said clip members to said bar.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs.

4 to 7, the terminal connector is of substantially the same construction as that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, except that connector member NA is not provided with the drawn collar 30 and conductor bar 12A is in the form of a lug provided with an opening 42 for receiving the shank of a bolt for securing the connector in position and/or for electrically connecting the same to More specifically, as here shown, the end wall IDA is provided with a screw threaded opening 44 and the opposed side walls IDA have internally threaded portions 48 which are continuous with the threads in the threaded opening 44 of end wall IDA. It will be observed that, as shown in Fig. 5, plate ll of the screwoperated clamping devices does not engage side walls ID or side walls IDA. The converging portions IDA of member IDA have their inner surfaces provided with serrations 4D or may be otherwise roughened to improve the grip on the bare end of the wire or cable clamped in said connector member by screw 32. As -members IDA and I2A are in other respects the same as members ID and I2, respectively, the parts of the former which are similar to parts of the latter are designated by the same reference numerals with the letter "A" added.

The connecting members ID and IDA can be easily formed from a flat blank provided with the openings for the companion screws 32 and bent into the shape shown, respectively, in Figs. 1 to 3 and 4 to 7. In the case of member IDA, after it is bent into shape and fixed in bar I2A, opening 44 and side walls IDA are threaded to receive said screw 32. It will be understood that the end of the cable or wire is received within member ID or IDA and is clamped against the V-shaped end wall constituted by converging portions 20 and 2DA, respectively, of said members, by the companion screw operated clamping plate 34. When the cable or wire is thus clamped in position, the current flows directly to or from said cable or wire through the portions of side walls ID or IDA which are rigidly fixed in bars I2 and IDA, respectively. It will be realized that bars I! and HA are not restricted to the types illustrated but, on the contrary, can be designed for any known use. It will be realized, also, that the clamping screw need not have a turnable "accuse While I have shown and described several forms of the invention, it will be understood that the latter may be embodied in other forms and that in the illustrated embodiments certain changes in the details of construction and arrangement parts may be made, Therefore, I

do not wish to be limited to the forms of the in vention herein shown or described, or precisely to the construction of any of the illustrated embodiments, except as may be required by the scope or the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A terminal electrical connector comprising an elongated conductor bar having an elongated opening therein, a one-piece sheet metal terminal member supported by said bar and having opposed end walls and opposed side walls defining an opening for the reception of an electrical conductor, said side walls having converging portions which form one of said end walls for engagement by said conductor, said converging portions having elongated projections disposed in abutting face to face relation to form with the other walls a closed rigid loop, and extending through said elongated opening in the bar from one face of the latter to the opposite face thereof and having the ends upset over said opposite face for rigidly and permanently securing the terminal member to said bar, and means adjustably mounted in the other end wallof said terminal member in position to engage said conductor when the latter is inserted therein to clamp the same in position.

HELGE JENSEN. 

